CHILLICOTHE, Ohio – In a winner-take-all elimination game for the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference title, the Grand Valley State University baseball team made an emphatic statement.

The top-seeded Lakers slugged their way to a 21-6 victory against Wayne State in the championship game of the GLIAC Tournament on Saturday afternoon at V.A. Memorial Stadium. It marks the program's seventh conference tournament title and propels GVSU into the NCAA Division II national tournament.

“We started hitting and it got contagious and we scored a lot of runs,” Lakers coach Steve Lyon said.

The Lakers (41-13) erupted with a 22-hit attack to clinch the title.

GVSU scored five runs in the first inning, seven in the second, two in the fourth, four in the fifth, two in seventh and one more in the eighth. Wayne State (34-19) fell to the Lakers for the second year in a row in the GLIAC title game.

Sophomore first baseman Giancarlo Brugnoni led the onslaught with a 2-for-3 performance at the plate that included a first-inning grand slam over the fence in left field for his team-high 15th home run of the season.

Brugnoni finished with six RBIs in the contest.

“Earlier in the year, he had four consecutive at-bats with home runs,” Lyon said. “He hit the home run in the ninth inning to give us a chance in the first game, and then he came up and gave us a comfortable lead in the first inning of the second game.”

Leadoff batter and center fielder Mike Nadratowski went 5-for-6 with a double, three runs scored and a pair of RBIs. Left fielder Steve Anderson and shortstop Kevin Zak both had three hits and scored four runs, while Anderson tripled and totaled four RBIs and Zak had a pair of doubles and three RBIs.

Third baseman Brian Robinson, who singled and walked three times, also scored four runs.

Catcher Jared Cowan had two hits and two RBIs and designated hitter Jamie Potts had two hits, including a double, and knocked in a run.

“I couldn't be more happy with everybody contributing on the offensive side,” Lyon said.

Senior right-handed pitcher Chris Whitney (1-1) allowed four runs on six hits through five innings to pick up the win. He had help from the bullpen from junior Kyle Zegerac and sophomore Cody Westerhuis (Allendale).

Earlier Saturday, the Warriors forced an elimination game.

Wayne State held off GVSU, 4-3, in the first game of the championship in the double-elimination tournament. The Warriors got a bases-loaded single with one out in the bottom of the ninth inning.

The Lakers had tied it up, 3-3, in the top of the ninth when Brugnoni homered to left field on a 3-2 pitch.